There’s some cute that wedges itself into this episode that keeps it from sinking too far deep. Ji-an comes out sexier than ever and Eun-sung actually acts within the boundaries of a normal human being. Well… sort of. Then the final few moments hint that we might finally be marching ahead. Also how adorable is Tae-kang in this photo?

EPISODE 12 RECAP

Eun-sung bolsters his proposal that he’s strangely okay with being misidentified as the father. Though he’s aware of the overwhelming responsibility that accompanies it, he’s curious. Well seeing as you never came clean about yunno NOT being the father, you pretty much walked into that one.

Before Ji-an can recover from it all, he swoops in by reciting one of his favorite sayings, “Real life happens when you least expect it.” The magazine article finally gave him the courage to say what might have taken years or even an eternity to confess.

He interrupts (again) that it’s fine if Ji-an doesn’t have an answer, but she does. Leaning on someone for support and keeping her job certainly sounds nice but they’re not fitting reasons one should choose to get married for.

He once told her that everyone is a coward especially when it comes to something they want to protect. Now that she’s found it, she wants to face it head on versus cowering in fear. And she wants little Ankle to be proud of her for it.

With that, Eun-sung finally backs off and tells Ankle that he’ll be watching over it.

Cut to our hero who is getting a gnarly beating from Dad. He defends that Dad always told him that the life of a single parent was a lonely and hard one. Since he knows that, he wants to be a pillar of strength for Ji-an. He can understand and accept her situation… because he loves her. Aw.

Dad refuses to believe this, shouting that he should just go to America and pelting him until his strength finally gives out.

After Dad gets the rundown of the entire situation, he repeatedly ignores Tae-kang’s aegyo attempts to butter him up. A thought – if Na-ri already knows that Dad’s the new pattern guy, then why does he still wear that wig? For comedic consistency?

At Ji-an’s place, Tae-kang marvels at Ji-an’s latest design. It reminds him of a scene in an older foreign film where the leads laid under the shade as butterflies flutter above them.

Soon they’re watching Elvira Madigan where some moments inadvertently bring them within close proximity (omo!) and crying together during the more touching ones. HA – I love it how Tae-kang’s the louder tearjerker.

Ji-an is enraptured by the “love that you can almost catch, like butterflies” approach. So Tae-kang suggests adding a butterfly-shaped ribbon to brighten up the design. Her previous one were great but dark, but this one gives him butterflies in his stomach.

Slightly impressed, she throws him a bone that his survey results helped which warms his fuzzy little heart. But just in case he forgot he was working with Medusa, she reminds him that he’s just graduated from the alphabet to simple words in his design education.

They sit there as Ji-an contemplates whether she should tell Tae-kang that he’s the father of her unborn child or not. My answer? Yes. But you can’t hear me. Wahh.

But just as she broaches the subject, a phone call interrupts them. When Tae-kang hears that Na-ri is on her way over, he hurriedly leaves before Ji-an can mention the topic again.

Na-ri doesn’t get the chance to confront Ji-an about the news article because the Black Knight stops her outside. Telling Na-ri that Ji-an has just started to regain her strength back, Tae-kang tells her to back off.

His valiant stance surprises her and Na-ri balks when he confidently admits that he likes Ji-an. “So what? Can’t I like someone who’s pregnant?” For good measure, he adds that the news of Ji-an’s pregnancy is kept under wraps until Ji-an is ready to disclose it herself.

Shocked and hurt, Na-ri walks away as a single tear rolls down her cheek.

Drowning her crushed heart in liquor, Jake finds Na-ri drunk(?) at the bar. He’s confused as Na-ri mumbles how much she hates “that woman” (Ji-an). In her drunken stupor (seriously I can’t really tell if she is or not), she vows to win, refusing to lose to Ji-an in anything again.

Meanwhile Ji-an impatiently waits for the phone call that will never come from Na-ri when she receives a text from Tae-kang.

It prompts her to an email with a little team cheer for the upcoming collaboration, like a Victory is ours! and attached samples for her review. They agree on the same choice and Ji-an decides to tell Tae-kang the news after they win the collaboration. Sigh.

They mark the date on both of their calendars.

Bong-soo’s eyes bug out at Tae-kang’s plan to propose – is it Na-ri? Tae-kang laughs at his sunbae’s thickheadedness and tells him that how he proposes is more important than to whom. He wants a low-budget, sweet, romantic but tear inducing proposal.

Life Sage Bong-soo teaches Tae-kang that all he needs to do is focus on the one thing she likes. For instance, he proposed to his wife with a stack of fake money vowing that one day he’d make it real. He never fulfilled it (ha and aw) but she entrusted her future to him that day.

Tae-kang clutches on to the future portion of the lesson and as he peruses through some shoes, he silently vows, “I can only reform shoes now. But when I become a great designer, I’ll fill your shoe closet with the shoes I made!”

Eun-sung averts direct eye contact at everyone’s words of congratulations on his engagement. Er – if you were willing to sue a publication for defamation, isn’t it just easier that you admit that the article was false? You’re going to get sympathy points anyway.

In any case, Ji-an’s health has improved though it’s too early for her to return to work. She apologizes for how the article has disrupted Eun-sung’s life but has an idea to exact a little revenge on Madame Jang.

That revenge means a tell-all interview to another magazine with the angle about Ji-an’s decision to be a single mother and Eun-sung’s support in the process as her doctor.

He’s clearly impressed with her offensive approach but asks if she enjoys making things difficult for herself. Is she a pervert? (Yeah I think it’s a little strange and not as endearing either. I’m sure it’s a throwback to when she asked him the same question eons ago but it’s nonetheless weird.)

Ji-an likens it to when you had to receive their shots as children. At first, you were terrified of the needle but it wasn’t so bad once it was over. “Whether I get dragged into doing it or roll up my sleeves to do it, the results are the same.”

Eun-sung acknowledges her bravery but withholds on one thing he won’t divulge. Her words resonate with him in the office and soon we see him exit his office, patients sniggering behind his back.

Then we see a closeup of the sign behind his back, “Not Getting Married.” HAHA.

Jake gets his hands on Ji-an’s new design and Na-ri seems gripped with fear when she sees it. It’ completely different than the original but it doesn’t bother Jake, who shrugs that their team will win anyway.

But Na-ri heads back to the pattern room and asks to chat with the pattern designer in charge as Dad looks on with a suspicious eye…

She runs into Tae-kang soon afterward and challenges that Ji-an is better off packing her things because she’ll get fired before her secret gets out. Okay your threat just screams Look at me! I’m being eeevviiill!!

The words hang over his head at dinner and suggests that she doesn’t rush heading back to work. Ji-an’s workaholic nature however is just itching to get back.

Ji-an orders more meat and Tae-kang’s like, You already ate 3 servings by yourself! and she’s all (points to belly)By myself? You don’t get in the way of a pregnant woman and her food, good man. She’s got to keep her stomach full if she’s going to enter the battlefield!

Tae-kang asks if she isn’t scared for tomorrow – her interview will run and the world will know the truth. She admits that she’s incredibly frightened but she hasn’t done anything wrong, so with time it won’t be a big deal.

He asks that she keeps the night after the collaboration free “to celebrate” and she agrees. After dinner, they spot some flower arrangements and one with a blatant message of Hey pay me my money back! gives her an idea….

Only… it’s not the only one and the camera pans over and we see multiple arrangements. Then they’re coming in by the droves with messages such as Ji-an will raise Ankle well! and I look forward to tomorrow! all signed off by “Single Mom Ji-an.” This. is. freakin’. awesome.

Ji-an scowls at Jun-hee’s attempts to sexify her glorious return to work to make a strong impression. At Ji-an’s remark that she might not fit as her belly grows, Jun-hee finally gives some good advice: “Don’t ever chicken out. When time passes, this will all be nothing. Stand tall and don’t shrink back.”

And smoking hot she looks in a white form-fitting strapless dress topped off with a pair of flats. Eun-sung teasingly holds up his hands that she’s absolutely radiant and opens the door for “Pervert Director Ji-an.” Yeah… I… yeah.

Outside the company doors, she declares in a steady, determined voice, “Let’s go, Ankle.”

Ji-an’s staff gossip in the office about Ji-an’s interview, much to Tae-kang’s ire. But just when he gets up to say something, Team Leader Ma lays it down that it doesn’t matter if someone is married or not when they’re pregnant. At the end of the day, she’s still a mother. Dayum, I love you right now.

We get a quick cut to Na-ri and Jake who read the feature themselves. He hits a nerve when he likens Ji-an’s story to Na-ri’s mother.

Ji-an looks at her silent cell phone, amused that she received countless congratulatory texts on her false wedding but none in regards to her pregnancy.

Na-ri storms into her office, demanding why Ji-an chose to reveal her pregnancy to the world now. Ji-an truthfully answers that there was no such thing as “good timing.” Sympathy is for the unfortunate and usually congratulations are in order for the expectant mother.

There is no congratulations for single mothers in this industry, Na-ri reminds her. Aha, so this must be how her own mother met her ruin. Things will just turn worse from here so she advises that Ji-an turn in her resignation now to save herself the trouble.

Be it a threat or bit of advice, it bounces off of Ji-an. But she thanks Na-ri for dividing the teams because it freed her creativity to draw outside the confines of someone else’s standards. Lastly, Ji-an has no intentions to become CEO so Na-ri shouldn’t try so hard to fire her.

Appalled, Na-ri asks, “Why are you throwing your life [away]?” How could Ji-an be willing to do so over a baby that was a mistake. Ooh, this is hitting home for you, isn’t it?

Ji-an hangs on that phrase of ‘throwing one’s life’ and agrees that you should take a whack at life rather than simply embracing what’s been thrown at you.

Eun-sung pays a visit to Mom and Dad bearing gifts, apologizing that his father already called them. Dad shakes his head that he has no plans to marry off his daughter by hiding the truth about her pregnancy but if Eun-sung said he couldn’t live without her then…

Which is when he shows them Ji-an’s interview and public declaration to live her life as a single mother. He tells Ji-an’s parents that she’s a strong woman but she’ll need her parents more than ever now. Dad nearly grabs his neck and stops himself with resigned acceptance.

Then Eun-sung tries to lighten the mood that Ji-an flatly rejected his proposal and how he won’t be able to meet other women anymore. You trying to gain sympathy points, Doc?

Na-ri gets called in to see Madame Jang who has changed her tune, now greeting Na-ri with warmth. She lays the compliments on thick and addresses Na-ri with terms of endearment like, “our Na-ri” and “Na-ri ya.”

You can almost see Na-ri drink in the feigned affection and then her eyes grow wider, (if it’s even possible) as Madame Jang presents her with a gift. She cautiously asks if Madame Jang has heard about Ji-an.

She has and then turns to Na-ri: “You should carry this company forward.” It’s news that should bring the biggest smile to Na-ri’s face but she steps out with an overall feeling of uneasiness.

Looks like Na-ri’s plan to sabotage Ji-an’s design was a success as Tae-kang gapes at the sample. It’s markedly different than the original and the pattern designer plays dumb and waves him off. Dad narrows his eyes as these events unfold before him.

None of the shoemakers are willing to create the sample within a day and when Ji-an demands for it, Tae-kang lies that it’s not ready yet. It pings her suspicion radar and gets up to see it for herself… and Tae-kang envelops her in a hug.

They stand there like that for a few moments until Ji-an’s phone rings. And adorably, he still holds onto her while he puts the phone to her ear. She steps out, placing a hand to her flushed cheeks.

Tae-kang pleads with Dad to help and Dad sprawls on the floor willing to see Medusa fall from her pedestal. Tae-kang doesn’t understand why Dad keeps harping about him going off to America and so Dad explains that the reason behind Tae-kang’s attachment to Ji-an is because she’s a mother who won’t abandon her child, unlike his own mother.

But that’s sympathy and not love, Dad clarifies. “Loving her out of pity. How far do you think that will take you?”

Tae-kang raises his voice at that – does Dad think that being a single parent is pitiful? Is that how he sees himself? A single mother should be praised. “The word I hate to hear most in this world is ‘pity.’ Just say that you don’t want the child to grab you by your ankles! Just say you don’t want to take care of someone else’s baby! Why are you turning a normal woman into someone who’s pitiful?!”

He storms out and tosses the defect sample in the box in frustration.

Ji-an’s parents have come ’round for dinner at her place. She breaks the awkward silence first but then Dad cuts her off, mentioning her interview himself.

He gruffly compliments her on her picture and then mutters that she’ll just have to have the child and raise it well, which is just about the closest thing to Dad fully accepting the entire single mother situation.

At work, Ji-an catches a group of employees amused at a humorous photo of a pregnant woman in a bikini with her face photoshopped over it. The company forums are like a fanfiction site, filled with fabricated novels about Ji-an’s pregnancy as Bong-soo eats it up.

But they’ve got a bigger problem on their hands because Ji-an has found out that Tae-kang has picked up the sample. Tae-kang hurriedly hides the ruined shoes behind his back but she demand to see them.

And when she does, she gapes in horror and crumples to the ground. They need the sample by tomorrow and there’s simply no time to recreate the original.

Her workaholic nature kicks in again as she repeatedly attempts to redesign the horrific shoes, growing more and more impatient as time passes. Tae-kang watches worriedly, telling Ji-an that she’s working herself sick.

She refuses to listen and when Eun-sung walks in, she flicks away his hand and ignores his warning that she’ll faint again. Ji-an desperately cries, “Can’t you see I’m trying to work?!”

It just about kills me knowing that she doesn’t want to see the light at the end of the tunnel snubbed out.

And then… cue dramatic gong and slo mo entrance of Dad stepping into the office. He pulls off his wig as the others look with shock and Tae-kang breaks into a huge smile.

He’s here to save the day and starts barking orders left and right since there’s no time to lose. Tae-kang assures her that they’re a winning team and they’ll finish in time.

Dad sends Ji-an off to rest as she looks at him, tears welling up in her eyes, touched.

They work into the night, reconstructing the design from scratch. In order to keep themselves awake, they do the age-old trick of putting toothpaste beneath their eyes.

Tae-kang thanks Dad for helping him out but it’s no surprise that Dad has a stipulation – that Tae-kang follows Jake to study abroad. Dad says, “Keep your promise. I believe in you because you’re my son.”

Ji-an gets some shut-eye and drops by the office early in the morning to find her makeshift sample fast asleep.

Her eyes fall upon the completed sample and she gently picks them up in her hands. Her eyes well up with tears – her design made into reality.

Ji-an nervously prepares for her presentation and Tae-kang walks in with a gift for her special day. They’re specially redesigned flats and she gives a lame excuse that it doesn’t match her outfit.

He offers to put them on her himself and she smiles as he fastens it. He says, “They fit perfectly.” Tae-kang gently takes her hand and reminds her about their dinner date later tonight. And Ji-an pulls in to kiss him on the cheek.

They stand outside the doors of the collaboration competition with determined faces. Ji-an asks, “You ready?” and Tae-kang opens the door.

COMMENTS

I’m not even going to say it again even though I really, really want to. However, I should clarify that I don’t mind the pace of the work-related plot threads at all, though it does seem that we’ve been talking about this collaboration for what seems like a decade in this drama. Like the Reform Design Contest before it, the scale of the competition didn’t really matter but rather what it means to the participants involved. Then, it was the foot in the door towards shoe design for Tae-kang, and now it’s Ji-an’s time to shine in the spotlight to unleash the full potential of her creativity. And she has a talented and rising teammate whose by her side through and through.

I don’t even mind watching as Ji-an slowly falls in love with Tae-kang either with the little smiles and gestures to let him know that she does care. What I don’t get is how come we can’t see this while Tae-kang knows the entire truth about the pregnancy because that man is primed to hear that he’s the father. Yes, he could jump the gun, leave everything behind to “take responsibility” but once he knows you have more story to work and interweave into your plot. As of now, even though he’s supporting Ji-an, he still feels removed from the entire pregnancy. Just like we see him as a contributing member to her design process, I want to see him be a collaborator in her personal life. He’s got the potential and they’ve got the chemistry – I just don’t get why we’re not there faster.

This isn’t to say that I’m imagining a picture-perfect-tied-up-in-a-bow ending at this point because narratively there are a number of possibilities for Ji-an and Tae-kang that I would be more than content with. Because Ji-an is such a strong woman who has now declared that she’s going against the society grain by going forth as a single mother, I’m confident that she can make this happen as a trailblazer for single parents. Yet within the confines of a romantic comedy series we are leaning towards that romantic link between our main couple – an outcome I’m okay with as well.

Moving on, oh Na-ri… you’re such a weak link. You’re not even anywhere close to evil and I can’t even tell if you’re trying because I can’t read one expression on your face from the next. I haven’t seen Im Soo-hyang in anything else but if I have to guess if you’re inebriated or not or if you’re sad or surprised while you continue to play it straight then… I don’t have words. As a character, Na-ri is practically harmless and every ‘evil’ move has Ji-an come out victorious. Like how splitting the staff from her brought her closer to Tae-kang, released her creativity, and came out with an awesome design. And because she couldn’t figure out a better way to win, like say, draw a better design, she had to sabotage it. I guess you could say that it’s consistent with her childish nature to knock down another’s blocks. Now she seems even less threatening under Madame Jang’s wing, whom we all know is the real evil puppeteer. It may be interesting seeing if Madame Jang can change Na-ri but it’s also late in the game and those odds will always be stacked against her.

Now that we’re moving into the final two weeks, I’m getting a little nervous about how we’re going to move forward with Ji-an’s pregnancy. I’d hate to see to see it shoehorned into the last few episodes. Are we ever going to see her give birth? Are we ever going to meet Ankle? Is Tae-kang ever going to know!? Do I need to send flower arrangements to the production company?

And I think TK kind of *knows* because he shot up from his chair when he found out that the no-so-good doctor was NOT the father. He can’t be that dense. He seemed excited at the prospect.

The issues brought up around single mothers was done well in this episode to cover for the other mistakes in the series. Also I liked the limited time with needs-anger-management father and codependent/enabling mother.

The scenes between TK and JA were also cute.

The writer is improving, but she’s not quite getting out from her own mess, which is part of the whole drama production problem (they demand scripts as the show airs, not the whole series before they air, which also causes the live shoot system.)

Anyone else spot the “copetition” misspelling?

I hope the doctor gets kicked soon besides a sign to his back. I wanted JA to refuse his proposal less gracefully….

“Look, Doctor without borders, you’ve stalked me, harassed me, thought you were in love with me though we never dated and stepped over my boundaries and thought my objections to that were cute. Which part of restraining order do you not understand?” He’s pretty close to being NPD… (reforming people can be fun to watch in dramas, it’s not a good policy for your love life.)

I think the Nari plot thread is kind of lost… the writer is struggling with the main plotline so much she’s forgotten the other ones. She’s not quite clever enough to do the “tie them together” that many veteran writers can do. (At least I don’t think so).

Oh and I want a flashback ending please. A flashback to what happened between the umbrella and the next morning~

I’m guessing the writer is lining it up for the next week’s episode when they win, he proposes, and then she’s shocked and then gets around to telling him. Don’t expect anything sweeping.

If not…
She might even pull off the whole black pit of K-dramas thing and send TK to America to fill time. (Seriously, he might tell her he wants to marry her and his father tells her that he’s going to America, so JA refuses and doesn’t tell him about the baby in a fit of Noble Idiot Syndrome.<– cheap trick and manufactured at best also utterly predictable and OOC (Out of Character). In which case, I hope the PD stops her from writing it that way).

As I said, the writer thinks that a premise is a story and didn't get past the premise when writing which is why the story is slow–she doesn't have anything beyond the premise.

This drama is a lesson in what happens when you try to make the premise the story. LTM (different writer) is a lesson in not being prepared after your premise runs out. Premise makes for a lousy and or thin story. It's only the starter gas, it is not the car.

Upside of this episode, too, is JA is learning to rely on others, not just herself, which is some character growth.

I have a different take on the issues with the series. I don’t thinks the writer only had a permise and ran out of things to say. I think the writer has a very specific agenda that she is sticking to.

I actually think the problem (if there is one) is unmet expectation due to the title. I DO I DO set up a forced marriage drama or rom-com. Which it is not and I think was never what the writer wanted to deliver.

I think in someways this is a social drama like they to use to have in the United States where societal issues are taken on in the movies like “Gentlemen’s Agreement,” “A Patch Blue” and “On The Waterfront” to explore an issue and shifts people’s perspective. I think the writer wanted to address the status and lack of societal and infrastructure support for single moms.

The problems is the writer has dressed the issue in the guise of a rom-com and everyone keeps waiting for the rom-com suggested by the title and the premise to play out when the story she is telling is different.

So there is a disconnect between what is promised and what has been delivered and it is making the audience impatient.

I understand that. But I’ve like the story the writer is telling and I think it is a more unusual one than we get in rom-coms. Expect for “When it’s night” or some such title, I think KSA has amazing skills in picking projects.

really sad to see everyone, including the recapper, BLOW OVER the social issues here.

the writers are putting some really serious pressure on people to face up to ‘abortion’ as an option to deal with an unplanned pregnancy. single parenting is a growing social issue and the writers are doing a fab job of showing the viewers how one woman is dealing with it.

it is a rom-com. we are seeing 2 people who ‘seemingly’ met at random and are now falling in love with each other. is no one else seeing this, but me?

they already did the nasty, so this rom-com is kinda working the love in reverse. i think it’s brilliant writing.

and i wouldn’t hold my breath for a birth—aint gonna happen in this drama. however, we might get a wedding based on the title…but that will prolly be the last 5 mins of the last episode.

and i’m kewl with that.

1.2.1.1.2 yumiJuly 7th, 2012 at 9:19 PM

@Awe

I don’t see the writer of this drama as working to take options for women off the table, so much as I see him/her working to add options for women.

And I’m all for giving people options so they can make decision that make sense for their lives.

1.2.1.1.3 newsJuly 7th, 2012 at 9:21 PM

Yumi,

My same thoughts exactly. I like how being a single mom is played out in this episode. JA really steps it up and delivers a strong message about single motherhood and career that should have mothers around the world giving a standing ovation. This is rarely a topic that’s explored in K-dramas, so I understand and appreciate that TK doesn’t yet know that he’s the father. Being as young as he is, in comparison to ES’s initial reaction, he loves JA and w/o a second thought wants to marry her even if it’s another man’s child. Thanks to the writer, this aspect of the storyline also has me shaking my head in approval; his love for her is sincere, not out of pity. I think this just drives in the message that motherhood is something to celebrate and being a single mom is nothing to be ashamed of whether it’s a choice or not. Sorry gummimochi but I have to disagree with you on this. I think TK IS a partner both in her professional and personal life. Yes, he’s on the sidelines, but he’s always there when it matters most, protecting and supporting her when it was necessary not like ES who is always so forceful.

This drama isn’t perfect, but I like how these serious issues have developed all peppered with humor and sweet cuteness. Lots of brownie points for all the actors who chose this project.

1.2.1.1.4 AweJuly 7th, 2012 at 9:29 PM

yumi and news:

you say it much better than i did.

agree with you both that the writers are brilliant in exposing the options a pregnant woman has and how this woman is (to use news words) “celebrating motherhood” by embracing not erasing it.

1.2.1.1.5 shin mi raeJuly 8th, 2012 at 2:16 AM

thank you. i’m glad there are people who see this drama the same way i do. from the very early episodes, i thought this drama is about women empowerment. go girl power. when people here were arguing who between TK and ES will be a better daddy for ankle and for JA to marry, i said JA is a strong woman who can very well raise ankle on her own. I like that the story is about JA and the choices.she had to make. I’m glad that JA is showing the world you can be a mother and have a smashingly awesome career. The drama is JA journey. I’m there with her.

I’m okay with tk not knowing he is the dad. this way, we see him truly fall in love with our girl and not just taking responsibility. i love the progression of seeing tk fall in love. having said that, now that tk is madly in love, he should now be told he is ankle’s daddy. pls no noble idiocy. that is so out of JA’s character. while a wedding maybe necessary, i dont think it should be soon unless we are given a time jump. JA should marry for one reason only, out of love for tk. its JA’s turn to fall in love. i think she is beginning to fall in love but she is not yet there. we have 4 more weeks to see that evolve.

i’m loving this series. its refreshing to watch KSA without bawling in tears like in scent of a woman.

1.2.1.1.6 omoJuly 8th, 2012 at 2:18 AM

Hear, hear. I’m in total agreement with your opinions and perspectives. By addressing/or daring to address such social issues in a Kdrama is the only reason I see how the novel (in which this drama was adapted from) won a creative award.

If it had been a straight-up one night stand, baby conceived, they fall in love, momma tells poppa the baby is his, they get together; I’ve seen/read/heard that too many times before….and in real life too.

As a viewer, I understand why JA’s is hesitant about telling TK the true identity of the baby. It is also very consistent with her character. JA is a woman who totally believes that she can raise the child alone. (Like what the doc said.) The last thing she wants is for the father of her baby to feel obliged or take responsibility. You know in Asian culture, I get the sense that a baby/foetus doesn’t quite belong to the mother. I get the feeling that JA wants to keep the baby to herself.

I prefer to call this drama “I Did.” as in “I did it” =P (Makes more sense) With nonsense titles coming out of K-dramas, I have no expectations going in. I’m willing to give the writer a chance. I also like Slice of Life dramas, so I don’t mind slow pacing–it just means that it has to be done well. (Winnie from Taiwan is one of my favorite directors and he exclusively does slice of life. But the writing is so tight that you forget the pace is sooo slow.)

First, I disagree, gummimochi has stated several times throughout the recaps that the facing of issues such as abortion and single motherhood (and in this recap celebrating the whole saying a mother is a mother) is a strong point of this drama. I’ve said similar things, either independently or before she did. (Read back in the comments.) So saying unilaterally because someone has an objection to how a story is written that they must not like any of it, is a little harsh.

Second, I think you are confusing theming with premise.

The THEME is single motherhood. The PREMISE is that a successful career woman gets knocked up by a younger man. THEME =/= premise. *Issues* or the soapbox/platform also aren’t necessarily the *theme* nor the premise in the mechanics of a story. I’m saying this because I wasn’t sure if you got that.

What I mean by she didn’t get past the premise is…

If say in Episode 1-6 All that had happened in 1-12 had happened plus telling TK he was the father (though traditionally it is 1-4 in K-dramas, I’m conceding 2 episodes since there are a lot of events and emotional beats that need to happen.) then the conflict *evolves* from the place it is now. That is because when you tell people a *premise* (or the initial kernel of the plot) people usually can guess 100% of the beats of the plot, including all of the beats in between.

If we’d gotten 1-12 in 1-6, then the conflict naturally would have to move towards–Well, does JA want to marry at all? What are the realities of raising a child as a single mother? Does she want the father in her life, or can she do it on her own? Can she find help? The one premise conflict blooms into thousands of questions and the plot becomes more interesting to the viewer, because all of the beats can come into play. I would have been interested if TK had to convince her that he loved her for her *after* the baby was born. That’s a born juicy plot with just enough makjang for episode beats of 10-14. (Where the makjang usually comes in.) Also can be played for humor.

Second, issues of single motherhood have been addressed previously in dramas and done better by getting past the premise. Be Strong, Geum-Soon and Three Dads and One Mom. (Second being funnier and still managed to tackle the issues while get past the premise.) In both the baby was BORN by now.

The weakest place is the character and the pacing. The pacing isn’t so much slow as it is uneven. This is because she’s trying to stretch one question to the viewer for the entire series and that’s not very engaging for the usual watcher. Viewers usually don’t mind slow pacing if there are new questions being asked of them. This is how you get tension, even in a slice of life which is the slowest form of story telling on Earth.

Character is weak because she didn’t work on character background. She has character change and evolution down, but she didn’t think about character background which helps both the actors and viewers to emotionally connect to the characters. (Change and evolution only serve to keep the viewers interested, but not always emotionally engaged.)

If she wanted to make an issue of single motherhood, making the mother poor, the father faceless, and then the mother have to fight for her child in a hospital where they stole her child would be closer to Korean stigma reality. (Three Dads and One Mom tackled this by showing how *hard* it was for a single mother to get a job *and* the baby was friggin’ born in that drama which meant that the threats to the mother (played by Eugene) were real rather than imagined, making it more immediate).

It has been done better in other dramas. It isn’t exactly new. For a third drama it isn’t so bad. And thinking critically about story elements doesn’t ruin a drama–when it’s done well, the drama shines, even past the mistakes. It just means the ones not done as well tend to suffer under the critical thinking.

I am biased towards writers and directors more than actors. This writer (Jo Jeong Hwa) is only on the third drama she’s ever done–for other veteran writers, like the Hong Sisters (Which was technically My Girl) and writers like Kim Eun Sook (Went from kinda weak Lovers in Paris to much stronger City Hall) they still were struggling at their third drama to get all of the things a story needs in a row. (See objections to Operation Proposal Drama) I expect the struggle because no writer is *that* gifted to auto-get it in the first, second or third try and Korea allows for more public growth and more public failure. This is *only* her third drama. She still has work to do. I look forward to always seeing writers improving their craft.

Also, note here I’m a story geek since I breathe them day in an day out… so I apologize for getting technical.

1.2.1.1.9 yumiJuly 8th, 2012 at 7:41 PM

@ Kim Yoonmi

You are right on the title, for the story that’s being told, I DID is a much better title than I DO, I DO.

Your passion for story (telling) comes through so it is fun reading your deconstruction of each episode. Solid story construction in writing for performance is one of things I’m passionate and it is one of the things I teach. But when I’m watching for entertainment I usually consume the product whole–I find it more enjoyable that way.

I didn’t think I’m confusing theme and premise. I wasn’t suggesting that the conditions for single mother was either. I thought it was the writer’s politics.

“As I said, the writer thinks that a premise is a story and didn’t get past the premise when writing which is why the story is slow–she doesn’t have anything beyond the premise.”

I interpreted the statement above to mean that for you the writer ran out of plot, (the series of events that tells the story.) And I think that is a valid response for your experience of the story.

If I were looking at the script, my response might be similar to yours, but watching the product/ production I’m pretty satisfied. I feel as if I am watching a different story than you are and the one I’m watching works for me. That is not usual. Anaudience’s experience of a production can be like the five blind men and the elephant. It is the specific individual response that makes art in all its forms worth our time.

Right now I’m watching A Gentleman’s Dignity and I do not get it at all. I’ve read people raving about how much they love it, but the whole thing has missed me. I keep watching because there is nothing else on the weekend and I’m curious to see if it will ever grab me. I think the reason why I have not been able to respond/connect with AGD is because i don’t get the characters.
IDID feels like a character study to me, and the combination of JiAn and KSA is a very satisfying experience. I feel as if it is her coming of age story and the other characters are facilitating her growth.

TK is less well developed then JiAn and the actor is charming but not as well versed in delivering character nuance, but I believe the foundational material for his character has been established. I can’t always predict what he will do, but when he does something, it is justified by his personality and history.

I feel TK’s father behavior is grounded in his history. For me, the foundational material for NaRi character are in the script, and the character’s behavior is rooted in her precarious position, but the actress hasn’t the experience that would allow her to act between the lines.

Madame Jang is a two dimensional plot device as of now and the second lead is all plot/action but his character motivation was left out of the script. This I don’t think is the actor’s fault but a writing issue.

I am a character person, much more than I am a plot person. Sometimes I find it more satisfying to see a well constructed character move from A to C than to see a well plotted action drama where tons of things happen but there are no interesting characters. Of course it is perfectly possible to have great characters and great plot in one production. And that what most writers aim for.

I suspect my knowledge of K-drama is not as deep as yours. I’ve only experience K-drama in translation so goodness knows what I’ve missed.

I’m glad that IDID did not take the path on unplanned pregnancy that the Ojakgyo Brothers did, which just reinforced the status quo.

“If she wanted to make an issue of single motherhood, making the mother poor, the father faceless, and then the mother have to fight for her child in a hospital where they stole her child would be closer to Korean stigma reality.”

I’m glad the writer didn’t choose this path, but instead went the “Murphy Brown” route. When the single mother is a successful adult with the resources to care for her child, it removes some of the argument that can obfuscate the issue.

1.2.1.1.10 RaeJuly 9th, 2012 at 3:42 PM

Great theory and well said. This drama does a wonderful job at exploring the topic of parental choices – JA isn’t the only one; we see the reprecussions of different choices in Dad/TK and Nari/her two moms as well. Even the Doctor Without Borders fits in perfectly if you think of him as a representation of all the pressure on a pregnant woman to do what is expected (e.g., grab hold the richest/most statusy love interest even though he’s not the father and not really that interesting or lovable).

I really hope we don’t get a time jump / TK going to America without knowing.

It would annoy me terribly because the idea that someone misses out on the first years of his child’s life just because people didn’t bother to tell him is just WRONG.

I think the social issues that are being addressed here can still be addressed with TK knowing – if that is keeping him in the dark for a while so that they can be explored that’s fine, but there is a point that he absolutely needs to know. He has the right, regardless of whether the drama wants to shift the perspectives on single women or not.

I don’t know, I think it’s about time he gets told the truth. I would just find it lame if that fact gets pulled out last minute, whether when JA is about to give birth or when he’s at the airport leaving for America.

They don’t need to get married or anything (couldn’t care less about that) but TK needs to know.

In fact, I would prefer if they didn’t get married … would make a much stronger statement while getting married would sort of be symbolically undermining the points the show was trying to make about single mothers.

Or if they get married, it’d be like five years down the line…

1.2.1.2.2 yumiJuly 8th, 2012 at 12:14 PM

@ OMO
This drama isn’t saying that single mothers can cope alone. I think it is saying that they need systems and structures to support their choices. JiAn isn’t coping alone. Her annoying friend is assisting [with questionable advice *eyeroll*] JiAn’s overly invested doctor is helping and TK her stressblocker is on the case with pigfeet to satisfy her cravings.

@ Alua,

I agree that Tk should know he is the father. JiAn has also come to that conclusion and tried to start that conversation but Tk was in a hurry to play stressblocker so he didn’t take the time to listen.I support single mothers.

But I think children are best raised in families, extended families when possible. I don’t think it is a sign of independence to keep a father who is respectful and supportive of you away from his child to prove your independence. That’s just being neurotic or straight up crazy. Also it is being stupid at best and quite likely meanspirited.

I personally am not sure a time jump is necessary now that I’ve watched TK grow up. But even if he goes to America, I hope he finds out soon enough to come back for Ankle’s birth.

Just because TK may leave for a three year training program, it isn’t incarceration. There is nothing that says he can’t make a different choice if his circumstances change.

Also, there is nothing that says that JiAn can’t goes with him if she can. Madame Jang’s behavior might have soured her on the company and JiAn might be looking for a change.

“But I think children are best raised in families, extended families when possible. I don’t think it is a sign of independence to keep a father who is respectful and supportive of you away from his child to prove your independence. That’s just being neurotic or straight up crazy. Also it is being stupid at best and quite likely meanspirited.”

Totally agree.

I don’t hold any stigma towards single mothers, but I would not encourage a woman or a man to pick this path if she/he has a choice because the mother/father is capable- it is always harder alone. Also, choosing to be single mother does not mean choosing to not inform the dad that he has a child. Ji An can tell Tae Kang he is the dad, let him be the father to his child, and she can still choose to be single. It’s not either Ji An by herself, or Ji An married. Both mother and father can acknowledge their child without being married to each other.

2 NoelleJuly 7th, 2012 at 10:14 AM

OH NO do I read or watch first? It’s too early for this kind of dilemma!

Was I the only one who besides loving all the cute and tender scenes between JA and TK, LOVED how he looked at her after he put the shoes on her and how he TURNED AROUND LIKE A ROBOT after she kissed him? Priceless!!!!

LJW is so bringing it in this show and yes, KSA and him have great chemistry. Love them both in this drama <3!!

I also LOVED how he hugged her in her office, but more importantly HOW HE DIDN'T LET GO ONCE THE PHONE RANG and acted as if he was a part of the conversation. Man, he is SOOOO CUTE AND ADORABLE!!!! He just does the most endearing things!!!

I also LOVED it when she kissed him and left. It was like her little revenge, because when he kissed her in episode 10 her left her dumbfounded, And yes his reaction was Priceless.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE the scene when they were watching the movie, when his elbow caused the chair she was sitting in to turn, epically when she asked him, “What’s wrong with you”

Although i said it was a little revenge , that kiss was much more than that. This episode showed that Ji-An ice barrier is now only a tiny ice cube “Honestly i think it has been shattered”. For someone like Ji-an to make the first move and kiss him is mind blowing. I have sat down today and though of her change over time and i have to say I’m in AWE of her change, and that’s what i LOVE about this drama. We the audience get to see a strong career woman who has forgotten how to live/ love because she placed her career first, to someone one who is welling to give up her career for her unborn child. We see her struggles and her hardships and also her falling in love..

KSA has delivery yet another character that has BLOWN me away, it was a very believable delivery and I’ve already given her a Standing Ovation for her Ji-An character. I couldn’t picture anyone in S-Korea but KSA for Ji-An role.

I just wanted to say “Thank You” again for going on this journey of “I Do I Do” with us. I know that recapping is a lot of work and time consumming and I appreciate blogs such as this one that allow us to rant, rave, swoon, squee etc… about the dramas we are watching with people who enjoy watching them. Thank you also for taking the time to read ALL of our comments. It is nice to know that the time we take to write and share our thoughts and feelings is also appreciated by you and by others.

I have personally raved about IDID more on OT and thought I would share those thoughts here. If you happen to read them, that’ll be great, otherwise, I will understand, life is busy. You might have read or come across some or many of these comments before:

“You asked me, “Did you love episode 12 of IDID as much as I did?=)” Did I ever?!!!! Episodes 11 and 12 had some serious cute/adorable/protective/tender moments that upped my love for TK and confirm to me why he is good for her.
I won’t list all those scenes here (I can’t remember all of them) but some have stayed with me and are worth mentioning: in episode 11, how cute was he when he wrote on his hand [because he couldn’t speak] and then took it upon himself to write up a questionnaire and hand it out and begged people to fill it out. I LOVED it when he sang the “I want to kiss you” song, which reminded me of the 1st season of We Got Married with Alex (the singer/cook/actor/restauranteur) and Shin Ae (the actress). In that 1st season, Alex was paired with Shin Ae and he does play that song and sings it to her. Alex starts singing it a little far away from Shin Ae and he keeps getting closer to her as he sings. Shin Ae was very shy and seeing her reaction to Alex singing (and yes, he wanted to kiss her ) were both cute and adorable! I immediately thought of that scene when TK started singing (and both men have beautiful voices).

I LOVED how anxious and worried TK was at the news of JA getting married to the Dr. He couldn’t focus and had to find out (and actually do his job, giving her the questionnaires with the answers). I LOVED how TK looked at her in the morning, when she was cooking breakfast for him. From the moment he 1st saw her to the realization that she was actually in the kitchen, COOKING!!!! The look on his face: PRICELESS (nicely surprised and so much tenderness) and LSW did a great job portraying that.
And of course, the scene where he eats breakfast, hilarious and precious. I replayed that whole scene many times for the laughs but also because it showed how sensitive and emotionally aware TK can be. I LOVED how he built up her confidence in cooking and how he *lied* (both times) in a smart way. We now know for sure that TK is a better cook. The things that that man will do for his woman, *swoons.* And the way KSA played that scene, from not knowing how to cook to saying that she is good at anything she does, so funny. How they kept a straight face through scenes like that is one of the many reasons why I love the actors/actresses in this drama and their characters. I will stop here for episode 11.

Now on to episode 12:
My favorite scenes (and again I don’t remember all of them at the moment) were when he hugged her to prevent her from going to look for the samples (skinship !), but more than that, when the phone rang and he didn’t let go of his other hand when he picked up the phone , (so he was still holding her). *Sighs!* I replayed that scene many times as well. They made it look so natural, and I LOVED how he stayed around and acted like he was a part of the conversation (I thought that was rather cute ).

And then there are the scenes when the Dr. sees her parents (he redeemed himself some), greets her in the white dress, when TK asks NaRi to leave JA alone (standing up for her), when he stayed up all night to help create a different pair of shoes (with daddy coming to the rescue), when TK slipped the shoes (he changed) on her, the look on his face then, and the look on his face when she kissed him and the way he turned around like a robot (so funny!). One of TK’s crowning moments of course was when he gave dad his speech on single parents. I felt like giving him a standing ovation after he was done talking. It was one of those times when I went, “really, this guy is not dumb.”
I am also liking some of the side characters such as TK’s dad and his friend (who works at the restaurant), and NaRi and the other friend (whose wife is pregnant, Bong Soo) to a certain extent. I am liking (actually loving) some of JA’s outfits, but I can’t help and wonder when we will see the baby bump.
I like seeing how JA is at times vulnerable in TK’s presence (the kiss scene, before, during and after) and how her shyness comes out at times (when he sang). It is nice and interesting to see those different layers in her personality. I could say more about the last two episodes (as you know) but I will stop here, as I have already said plenty.

I am personally enjoying IDID as I understand that it is a drama that lets the characters breathe and it is taking the scenic route to solving problems, as opposed to taking a straight shot. I have let go of some of my expectations, and I am focusing on enjoying the ride and the view.
Watching Bridal Mask for me is like having the main dish of a meal. It is intense (the drama) and like a main meal, it mostly feels you up. IDID to me is like the dessert. There is always room for dessert (at least for me). And IDID as a dessert is the kind that I look forward to (what endearing things will TK do today?:-)). Like many people, I am ready for TK to find out that he is the dad and I hope that it will happen sooner rather than later. I do think that with TK knowing, there is potential to write in many more conflicts and comedic situations (about the pregnancy, TK’s reaction, his dad’s reaction, his friend’s reaction, Bong Soo’s reaction [and he tends to overreact, so that would be funny], what would become of TK’s future, etc…).

I would like to see TK go through the pregnancy with JA, but I don’t know if I will get to see that *Sighs.* It would also be nice to see JA give birth and have TK be there for that (in the room) and see the beaming dad that he could be. They could then do a time jump and we could get to see scenes like TK taking little TK to kindergarten (after we see that TK and JA got married by using some pictures for example), or as someone suggested in the recap comments of episode 11 (I think), TK and his child pretending to like JA’s food but afterwards going to a restaurant to eat some really good cooked food or better yet, have TK cook for the whole family since he is so good at it.
And I would like to see JA and TK and TK’s dad have their own company and doing tremendously well. Oh, and at the end of the last episode, we learn that KA is pregnant with her 2nd child and that her OB-GYN is a woman, (DWEB) Doctor With Well Established Borders

So yeah, all in all I am still enjoying IDID and I hope that it will do well till the end because I am considering buying the DVD when it becomes available. I do want to see how it ends though, how the next four episodes are written and acted out (and directed, of course). I guess we will find out soon enough, two more weeks to go. I think this writer is struggling some, but I hope she will be able to bring it all together. Maybe she should check out Dramabeans for some suggestions . We are easily accessible, aren’t we? There are a few of us who enjoy this show and I don’t think we would mind giving her a few pointers, right? After all, we post our thoughts here, it’s not like we hide them.”

and also:

“I wasn’t really sure what to expect either before IDID started, besides the description and explanations I read on Dramabeans. I was however curious about it because it was a project that KSA and LJW had chosen to be in. So, I read the first recap and decided to check it out.

Personally, I thing the only drama with an older woman/young pup (as you aptly put it) I have seen so far is MNIKSS, I think. It ‘s the only one that comes to my mind right now. Again, I was mostly curious and I usually want to check out KSA’s projects, even if I don’t see them right when they are airing. To be honest, I also wanted to see how KSA was going to portray a strong and demanding woman a la Cruella de Ville of “The Devil Wears Prada” in which I thought Meryl Streep was excellent.

I do like that JA is a strong woman as well and that they have maintained that side of her (so far) in the series. I also do like (personally) that we do see how her walls come down, as she gets to know TK and realizes what a wonderful assistant he is (because he is TRULY wonderful. I would love to work with someone like him) and how caring, gentle, tender and smart and hard working he is as well.

I LOVE that TK turns out to be what JA needs in a man if she ends up being in a relationship and that has been well shown in this drama. I LOVE that TK falls in love with her first and not the other around, and more importantly, that he has the courage to admit and confess to her how he feels. I also LOVE that he didn’t say right away that he loved her, but that he liked her and that he was curious about her (his conversation with the Dr.). So we see TK fall in love with JA, but we also see JA slowly melt and appreciate TK, and reveal her vulnerable and soft sides in the process. Some examples are how she talks (and acts) like a little girl when she sees that he saw her drawings. She had been found out and exposed and felt extremely vulnerable. I LOVED how KSA played that scene. The tone of her voice and her body language changed. I LOVED that kiss (I wrote a long post in defense of those kinds of kisses in that episode recap) because it wasn’t forced and TK gave JA the opportunity to stop him if she didn’t want to be kissed and JA welcomed the kiss. I also loved JA shyness when TK sang the kiss song
I have never said this, but I also personally like that TK had never been with a woman before, I found that to be refreshing and different. In RL, I know a few men (some younger than me, in their late 20s) who were virgins when they got married, so I know that happens. JA basically have the upper hand on TK in a lot of areas and that is different for me in a Kdrama (and I welcome that difference).
I do feel however that the show tells us (IMHO) that what TK has is as valuable and as important as what JA has. TK has a great dad (essentially a great family) and a friend who, despite his flaws truly cares about him and tries to be the voice of reason when he thinks it is needed. TK also slowly earns his colleagues’ respect by working hard and by always being polite and well mannered, and I LOVE that about him. He is positive and tries to not let life get him down.

I personally don’t hate the Dr., he has a role to play and we need to know why we are making (in my case) the switch from him to TK. The selfish speech he gave JA when she told him she was pregnant did it for me, because I was originally on his team. He looked good, on paper, physically and otherwise. I think that at times, he has helped her and I do think that he loves her, but his approach (showing his lack of respect at times) has not been the right one. I do think that if Dr. had a woman or a friend advising him, he could change some of his behavior for the better. He is not all bad in my book and he does care.

Even when I don’t like certain characters in a drama, I have come to accept that they are there to fulfill a role. It is a drama after all, so I roll with it and put up with it, watching to see how things will turn out. So I have done so with NaRi and Madame Jang. I agree with you however, that I am looking forward to seeing both characters get their comeuppance and I hope it is a good one (and Jake’s as well).

“I’d like to see TK go to America with Ji An by his side to start their own line of footwear. I know this is farfetched, but what the hey- I can dream. lol”
I would like to see that as well, and I would also like to see TK more involved in the pregnancy with more tender and funny moments between TK and JA, because the situation (pregnancy) lends itself to such moments. I would like to see JA have the baby and TK being in the room with her and being a beaming dad when he first sees his child. I would also like to see respective parents of JA and TK accept each other and their children. And I would like the ending to show JA telling TK that they are pregnant with their second child, that would be funny and defying the odds, once again. I might be in the minority in this, but I would like for JA and TK to get married, especially because they love each other.

I have said this before, but I do LOVE that TK is not your typical hero, and that JA was actually the abusive one at the beginning of this relationship. I LOVE that his character has been consistent in who he is, because that hasn’t always been the case in Kdramas and I hope he stays the same until the end. I do LOVE heroes who are kind, tender, gentle and yet very capable and I relate more to them because I am the same way and if I were dating someone, I would want him to be that way, otherwise, I would not be interested. I think you can be such a hero and still have “drama” in a drama.

Personally, TK is a man after my own heart (actually, he already has my heart ). Regarding the pace of the drama, I have relaxed my expectations concerning that and it has allowed me to better enjoy the drama. IDID is a drama that lets its characters breathe and tell the story. Gaksital (I have checked out a few episodes) for me is the main dish in a meal course (with meat and potatoes, it feels you up, keeping you on your toes) and IDID is the dessert and one that is yummy to me. Btw, I always have room for dessert, so I definitely welcome dramas like IDID

On a last note, I LOVE the issues being explored (JA’s parents’ reactions, JA thought process and actions, the societal issues, tc…) as well.”

Thank you for this nice recap (as important as watching the episode itself) ! ^_^

– I love love love how Tae Kang is always genuine/true to his feelings and acting accordingly. Several times he could have take the easier way and lie like when his father asked “who wanted to take care of somebody’s else baby”, but either he set things straight immediatly or he choose to say nothing (like when Na Ri asked him if JA was pregnant). He is very consistent as a character and I love it!!! ^_^

– Is it me or the Doc voice’s is AL-WAYS quavery when he start to spill his feelings to JA or get mad at her?!!

– It’s funny and sad but mostly funny to see Na Ri desperately trying to pick fights with Ji An like “I will challenge you and win over you and kick you out” or similar nonsense and each time Ji An is like “yeah whatever” like “meh, there is no fight, plus you don’t worth the fight anyway”. Na Ri’s threats always fall flat and seems ridiculous (even her must sense that but I guess she can’t help herself lol). I just want to tell to Na Ri “You are no match to Ji An, stop embarrasing yourself and give up already” !!!

Hi Betty, I am glad you noticed how consistent TK is as a character. I was raving about it on Open Thread last week. That is one of his greatest qualities, I hope he stays like that till the end of the drama (consistent, I mean).

Tae Kang has so much courage. He really is brave and honest and goes after what his heart wants. He’s never lied about liking Ji An, not even to Na Ri! That is why I have so much respect for him and a bit of a crush too.

Do I need to send flower arrangements to the production company?- that’s the $100 question. I have a feeling we may see an entire pregnancy/birth and maybe a peak at Ankle in the last episode at the rate this is going! I think too much is dragged out! I am already disappointed that Tae-Kang has believed for this long that the baby is not his! Will he be mad/hurt? You betcha! Still not vested in I DO I DO but I watch when I can

for me, i don’t see a birth in this drama. i may be wrong but i think we’re only gonna get to a wedding.
and
for me, i don’t see TK getting upset when he is (finally) told that he is the father. it would be out of character for him. he’s totally over the moon for JiAn and has already come to terms with parenting a child that isn’t his.

Is it just me or is anyone else getting a time-jump-emminent vibe? Hmm. Twelve episodes in and I still have no idea what the end game is. Which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but you’d think by now the audience would have a better sense of where the drama’s supposed to be heading.

So a couple of points.
(1) I am still with this drama so I have stopped gripping on the slow pace (thank KSA for that cause I just absolutely love her. I think someone said “I’d watch a 16 episode drama of KSA reading a book.” I would too that’s how much I love her.)
(2) Tae Kung = love him. He literally is stealing this show.
(3) Dr Without Bounderies I started from loving him to hating him to tolerating him and now I don’t anything him that buzzy buzzy fly on the wall.
(4) Na-Ri. seriously I can not wrap my head around WHY she came from USA with a total fangirl crush on Ji-An to absolutely hating her in Korea?!?! Her animosity makes no sense to me and her overwhelming sense of entitlement is a little draggy. This character is the equivalent of day ol’ baby tissue on my book. That and I can’t stand how smug she gets for no reason. Can’t wait for everything to just blow up in her face. Dad needs to grab her and say “grow up honey”.

I think that if TK’s dad still wear this wig it’s because he is affraid to run into JA since he once went to jail because of her, ok not really “because” of her but still. He must think with reason that if she was to find out she would be really pissed off and even fire him. Later on he took of the wig in front of her kind of saying I don’t need this anymore or something…

Yes.
I think that JA realizes how amazing a family she is dealing with.
She realizes how important she is to TK if he convinced his father to help – the same man she sent to jail, and whose son she insulted. She sees how much the father loves the son, too.
Nice moment.

Thank you Gummimochi I enjoyed reading ur recap. This EP was comedic gold for me. I hope this trend continues to the end. Now if we could have fewer scenes with Na RI and the good doctor. I just can’t wait to meet ankle. LOL!

I also feel like a time-skip is going to happen in one of the future episodes. I’m wondering what the writer is going to do with the 4 episodes left. Will she try to bring all of the plot threads together to make a pretty bow or will she focus on only one? Or, will she attempt both? I used to be impatient with the drama’s pacing in the first 5 episodes, but since then I’ve gotten used to it. It may be more character oriented than plot oriented but it’s fine with me as long as I’m enjoying the show.

Thanks for the recap.
It is cute/funny how sensitive you are to us commenters who disagreed with you last time about the “P” word.

Ji-an hangs on that phrase of ‘throwing one’s life’ and agrees that you should take a whack at life rather than simply embracing what’s been thrown at you.
Ooooh! This is such a better translation than the subs I have been seeing. THIS makes sense and I love the imagery.

Actually, I like how you translate all of the puzzling Korean idioms that literal translations just confuzzle me.

I love the TK/JA scenes – watching the movie together, discussing the design, delivering the glass of milk, the phone hug, cheek kiss…sigh…

Does anyone else think that KSA has the softest skin you have ever seen? One of the reasons I liked the phone hug scene was TK looked so happy to be touching her bare skin.
As if he had wanted to the second she walked into the office in THAT dress, and when she said, “Bring me milk,” he was like, “Oh, I’ll bring you milk, baby.”

Oh, I laughed and snorted at the Sortuv-Evil one’s attempt at sabotage in front of TK’s father. NOBODY would ever track that back to you!

I agree about the skinship…TK always likes to linger a little longer whenever they are touching…I dunno whether this is consistent with TK or LJW who really likes skinship…hehe…but it’s so good for their chemistry…I noticed this when he held her during the rooftop barbecue , the instant hug at the market, and now the phone hug…but I have to say both actors’ facial expressions are so rich with emotions…Sun Ah’s during the phone hug (and hundreds of other scenes) and JangWoo and Sun A during the swivel chair headlock….wonderlust!!!

Everyone is entitled to their own opinion and what I love most about this little community here is that you guys hash it out with your own perspectives about this drama. I’ve mentioned before that this kind of healthy discussion and debate is great because the audience will discuss elements the drama may or may not touch upon.

I know that I may not always be fully clear as some of my other lovely recappers when it comes to comments, but I do want to let you all know that I DO (keke) read your comments and that at the end of the day, I’m human too.

So we may not always see things eye to eye but that’s okay and perfectly acceptable.

Kim Sun-ah looks absolutely remarkable… I want to know her skin treatment secrets. Probably a lot of facials in there.

Thanks for that little tip about sabotage – I really had no idea! You learn a new thing each day Thanks jomo!

Regarding the first pervert comment… I thought he was saying she was a masochist, always taking the difficult path when an easier one was available. But yeah, it was a bit odd. (like the writer was going for funny, or sentimentally cute, only to have the line fall flat.)

Eun-sung still creeps me out, Na-ri’s behaviour is pissing me off (though her bewilderment at Ji-an’s decision to keep the baby even though it would mean losing her career – contrary to what her own mother had chosen – was pretty sad), and why, why will no-one tell Tae-kang he’s the father?! I could understand if we had 8-10 episodes to go, but there are only 4 left and we still have: Tae-kyung’s discovery of the truth, the fall-out, Tae-kyung and Ji-an actually falling in love, arguing and compromising (?) on how to be raise their child… And they’d better not have him leave without finding out the truth and have him come back when the child is, like, 2. I would have to break things, if that turned out to be the case.

(and why can’t Eun-sung and Na-ri just get together? two annoying birds, one boring stone. and their babies would be so pretty… okay, they’d probably also be sociopathic, but eh, it’s a trade-off.)

Like some other commentators, I don’t see why/how him knowing would be such an issue. It’s not like him knowing will stop his character growth, same for Ji An. 8 to 10 episode was more than enough to cover the “I love you even though I am not the daddy’s baby” and then move on on him knowing and consequently move to new plot lines instead of turning in circles and made some of us more and more frustrated borderline crazy lol.

Now it feels like the clock is ticking and we are running out of time to see TK character growth after he actually KNOW he is the father. Plus there is still the unresolved USA thing and other things to cover like the father acceptance, etc that are likely to cut off from the time of TK and JA. I can not see how 4 épisodes will be able to cover smoothly all the unresolve subplots and tie all the loose ends. I still really like the show but there is an underlying feeling of frustration.

This remind me of the drama “The thorn birds” which I really really hated also because of the slow and boring pace. I DO I DO is lucky because I love Ji An & Tae Kang.

POTENTIAL SPOILERS FOR THE THORN BIRDS :
In “The Thorn birds” we have everything to make a person go crazy, the dad learn that he is the father only at the 17th episode out of 20, there is a time jump of something like 6 years but at least the father get to live with the child even if he don’t know that he is the dad and discover it at the very end.
END OF SPOILER

I hope the end will not be rushed and as unsatisfied as it was for me with The thorn birds.

I watched all of TB screming at the screen the whole time!
God, why did I do that to myself?
By the time I was done, I wanted to shred that one girl…..But, in that case, the torture was PERFECT.
They really did a great job making it sortof make sense that she couldn’t tell him (she, the martyr, not the beeyotch)
JSW was so beautful and sad in that.
(Of course, I just described every single role JSW has played, haven’t I?)

Well I don’t know for JSW but it sure is true that the whole situation was sad for Han Hye-Jin. In there she was really really really the noble idiot. This term may even have been invented after her lol. But you are right she couldn’t tell him and the circomstances made so that she really couldn’t.

But this drove me crazy. Plus there was a lot of unresolved things by the end which made me hate it even more ^^

I didn’t mind it in TB because it was a melodrama and the main story was about all the women and their relationships….come to think of it they kind of made the kid’s dad besides the point, which is why I think they took a kind of cop-out route and had him live with and see his daughter grow up even though he didn’t know she was his.

I enjoyed TB for some reason. I really like psychological melodramas with kinda dark, messed up people. LOL. Not sure what that says about me…

This is the first time I liked anything that came out of the friend’s mouth (well, except the part about keeping both guys).

Did anybody else notice that stank face mom was giving ES when they though he didn’t want to marry JA?

I know I’m late and it’s probably been said already but that’s gonna be a beautiful baby!!! No matter who it looks like….by the way the sex of the baby is still unknown but by the way everybody is carrying on it’ll most likely be a girl. She’ll be just like JA!!

I haven’t had the issues with the doctor that so many fan of the series have.

Yes, he creates and obstacle to JA and TK’s relationship, but that’s the function of second leads.

The rules he follows as a doctor is questionable, but not as weird as invasive or potentially illegal as I’ve seen on other dramas. The info he shared with her father was info he got socially and he shared before he was offically her doctor. The interweaving of the roles of doctor and friend was questionnable and creepy. If he had been it one doing her pelvis exams the series would be close to unwatchable. But he is fictionale and functional from my perspective.

I did like his proposal and his reaction to being rejected.

I will say that JiAn rejection of the doctor is the sweetest and most defensible I’ve ever seen.

Thank you so much for yet another great recap, Gummimochi!
That film-watching scene just killed me, it was great, and I can’t even explain why – it was funny and yet absolutely endearing. Once again, I loved every scene in which JA was talking to Ankle. I also noticed that she keeps referring to TK as Dad/Father when talking to her baby, which means major progress in my books. Yay!
I realized that there wasn’t too much of ES in this episode, and consequently he was much less annoying.
I’m thinking of trying that toothpaste method when I need to pull another all-nighter in the office

I didn’t know it had only 4 eps to go. I thought this series had 20. Well, if that’s the case, next week better be the revelation, otherwise, somebody’s gotta lot of ‘splainin’ to do. BTW, JK is so cute when he’s in love with JA.

Regarding your feelings about letting the ACTUAL father know….. I kinda like it that he doesn’t yet. We get more room to explore the feelings on each side. i.e How it is for a single mother, who chooses to remain single, a subject generally regarded as TABOO. How it is for a guy to like someone who is not carrying their child….big barriers. If he was told…then it would be too easy for him to carry on liking her. Though, of course his feelings are sincere, I enjoy how the writers are taking this story.

1–anyone catch the spark between the doc and the magazine female interviewer? or was it just me? i think we got ourselves a contender for the doc. and his comment to JiAn’s parents about not being able to ever meet women due to the article is going to haunt him. ALL women, especially single women, are gonna flock to his clinic. betcha hunerd dollars. and he’ll get a column in the women’s mag fo’sho.

1.1 (ok–maybe 4 things) The flower banners to Madame Jang. LOOK closely peeps. This is called RIGHTEOUS REVENGE. The writers deserve GOLD ‘somethings’ for introducing to the drama world the “art of RIGHTEOUS REVENGE”. no one dies. or suffers physical pain. it’s a very PUBLIC in your face revenge. LOL.

2–me thinks everyone is dismissing the EVIL in NaRi or that her evil is watered down. it seems viewers want the villain to be over the top ALWAYS like the mother in Sparkling or the sister in RoofTop. It’s so unrealistic. We all know vengeful people in our real lives and none of them are 100% over the top-all the time evil. So a formal bow to the writers for keeping it real and not unbelievably extreme. That said, NaRi is dealing with insecurity issues and in this episode, she now has to face the fact that the guy she likes-likes her nemesis. So, to her, it justifies tampering with JiAn’s design. But the real kicker (and I love how the writers did this) is her smug tude when leaving Madame Jang’s office and stating something to the fact that she didn’t need to trash JiAn’s sample because it all worked out to her benefit in the end. LOL. love.it.

3–the whole re-make design team scene was sooo touching. LOL at the father’s entrance! i was laughing so much—what a stud-muffin. the fact that he told JiAn to hightail it because the fumes wouldn’t be good for the baby was heartwarming…so hoping the dad warms up to the idea of being grandpa.

i absolutely LOVED this episode—in fact, each episode is so perfect after i embraced the writers directions and the pace.

Na Ri just seems really young, immature, and clueless. I hope she doesn’t actually believe Madam Jang suddenly accepts and likes her, or thinks or her as a daughter.

What Na Ri needs to do is mend her relationship with her own mother/family she abandoned to go chase shoe fame. Talk to her father about their relationship and be frank with Madam Jang as opposed to groveling for her acceptance.

Nah, think d writers r too intelligent to write something like that…i can’t believe d end is near! How to live through the days? Otoke? Oh, forgot to rave abt JA’s clothes!!! or more so queen KSA’s figure…..wow….did anyone notice d S line…? who else do u think can pull off d 2 earth shattering dresses she wore at 37??? oh deary me… not sure abt u but I was gawking d whole time… oh and another observation, when TK hugged her, did u see JA’s expression…priceless! dunno wat to say but am enjoying this drama like crazy!!!

I’ve seen Im Soo Hyang in ‘Tales of a gisaeng’ and she was so shweet and her acting was pretty amazing av already watched it twice! Agree, the girl cannot play evil, so far anyways but goodluck trying!

I already mentioned it in another thread… I actually don’t mind that Tae Kang doesn’t know that the baby is his. This allows him to love Ji An just for her self. And it also allows Ji An to realize that Tae Kang loves her for her self and that he wants to support her and not overpower her. And that may also change her opinion about being that strong independent single mother and she may then invite him to be part of the family – not because it is dictated by the society, but because she accepts him as her true life companion… and an excellent father.

The writer may have problems with keeping all her threads going (being it the side characters’ stories, Na Ri or the competition), but I like the main story of Ji An and her single motherhood and the questions it poses.

PS Did anybody else had this proposal/wedding ceremony feeling when Tae Kang put his redesigned shoes on Ji An’s feet??

Spoy on Dorotka, d shoes are a prelude to his proposal. Remember his date with her after the end of d colloboration? He’s gonna pop d question. And d shoes he put on her feet has its significance…… remember TK asking his superior how to propose to woman? He said must give her something that she loves….so wat does JA love d most? Haha, great move writers… I hav confidence in u not to disappoint us yah?? Make this a memorable show to all d Idoers! Hwaiting!

Spot on Dorotka, d shoes are a prelude to his proposal. Remember his date with her after the end of d colloboration? He’s gonna pop d question. And d shoes he put on her feet has its significance…… remember TK asking his superior how to propose to woman? He said must give her something that she loves….so wat does JA love d most? Haha, great move writers… I hav confidence in u not to disappoint us yah?? Make this a memorable show to all d Idoers! Hwaiting!

Thank you for the recap,
I’m scared to know where this drama lead to, the pace which is sometimes it keep on the good track sometimes it stay and just turn around in the same spot. The writer not smart enough to manage the complexity of the character, age gap and social issue, but sometimes we cannot avoid culture’s radar, it’s fine since is consistence.

Love this episode, but afraid of next episode, even it’s light but unpredictable. I like TK and BS conversation, he reach his own maturity over his sunbae, and have a bit sympathy for ES when he do that shameful but hilarious way to announce that he’s not getting married haha…

JA and TK getting closer is so sweet, cute and awkward, lol chair swirling, but why why why should TK do that, he should listen to JA, and JA should tell him directly and out loud like other kdrama (well it’s me not the writer anyway).

yay collaboration time, JA act unusual and it’s a good thing, don’t be arrogant like other girl JA :). Kiss on the cheek give a meaning “you’re so sweet??” did she refer to stamp on like ES did?? awww…
well what happen on the collaboration ‘copetition'(Lol)???

I believe the best ending would be a modern twist… JA tells TK. Tells him to study but keeps in contact through skype and the such traveling back & forth when available. They marry after hes done with studying.

i haven’t really thought much about the ending cause i’m just enjoying the ride but i gotta say that incorporating a flashback of an extended version of what happened THAT night would be satisfying, nyeknyek

i’m really really sorry but i keep forgetting to say this… gummimochi, thank you so much for the recaps – past, present & upcoming ones – & your personal insights. regardless whether we’re of the same opinion or not, i’m totally enjoying the read… keep up the great work!

Sorry for the repeat posting…stupid computer going wonky on me…I just want to put on record…
Thank you so much gummimochi for doing the recaps..I alway enjoy your writing and family thinks I am bonkers when I scurried away to my reading corner each time your new recap is posted…kamsahamida!!! Please continue….and please recap all KSA’s dramas…

Thanks for the recap! even if I read after watching I always enjoy reading the recapper thoughts and the readers comments.

I like IDID for its theme – single moms (I’m not but I know I would not be afraid to be).
The pace may not be what many expect but I enjoy every episode. I like the mirror effect that this writer gives us – first was TK expecting to hear that he is the father and now JA is trying ti tell TK that he is the father – the same emotion from different parts. Tk kisses JA and she is left there to digest it, then TK receives a kiss and remain stunt :)))

One thing I don’t like at all – why does TK needs to go to America and not France or Italy? and why does he needs to go and study there when he can do that in Korea too with JA?

I agree sunnahforever. My family thinks I’m bonkers too, but because I’m usually giggling at a recap moment or comment.
Thanks, gummimochi and to all the other comments. I appreciate that people can disagree without being vicious in their replies.
It will definitely be interesting to see how this drama plays out. I’ve found that my opinions about certain episodes or plot lines can change with the final episode. We’ll see…

More than the promise of a thrill derived from the rom-com, I appreciate the efforts of the writer in presenting a social issue in a story form. In spite of the present-day liberal attitude of most, there are still societies that frown on the idea of a woman bearing a child out of wedlock more so in a society that views marriage as a filial obligation. I Do I Do tries to tackle the issue of single mother, the support and/or lack of support for someone in this situation by presenting a glimpse into a one woman’s struggle to stand on her own outside of the norm – how she is dealing with parental and societal pressure with regards to marriage while balancing a career, setting priorities, weighing options, making choices and how these affect her personal life and the lives of those around her. The writer, in the guise of a rom-com, poses a subject of concern that eventually society has to face and address.

wow i have been reading the recaps but not the rants/raves. i’ve been missing out! The comments have been more more insightful about the story, characters & actors. it is almost a lesson on how to write a good script from a # of different prespectives. i don’t consider myself a writer but i love to read good writing. much thanks to all the ranters & ravers of this episode for doing that for me. gummimochi, my thanks to you to for your wonderful recaps. i may disagree w/some of your prespectives but i love that you put them out there for us to consider.

Na Ri is so hateful. She needs to stop being so obsessed with someone else’s life and realize she is her own biggest obstacle. Her fixation on Ji An is as pathetic as her desire for acceptance from Lady Park, a woman who could never be expected to accept her. Na Ri needs a reality check.

Read all the comments. Such great insights as usual! Thank you for the wonderful recap gummimochi!

I’m excited for the next two weeks. I will be sad when it’s over. I’ve really enjoyed this drama and I love the Tae Kang and Ji An pairing. Every time Tae Kang looks at Ji An, it’s so obvious he is totally in love with her and you can’t help but feel happy and excited for him. So cute!

I love how our rag-tag team got together this episode to make a new sample for the competition and I hope, pretty-pretty-please writer, that this was a prelude to the team – Ji An, Tae Kang, Tae Kang’s Dad and Bong Soo- starting their own shoe brand! They so can do it!!!!! Maybe name it Ankle.

Hello all I Doers….I am reposting this excellent write up in the main stream post so that all of you can read it as it tends to get lost in the “reply” sections…Ivoire, I hope you dun mind and keep on writing….I take my hats off for your insights!!!

3.2 Ivoire July 11th, 2012 at 5:50 pm
Hello Gummimochi,

I just wanted to say “Thank You” again for going on this journey of “I Do I Do” with us. I know that recapping is a lot of work and time consumming and I appreciate blogs such as this one that allow us to rant, rave, swoon, squee etc… about the dramas we are watching with people who enjoy watching them. Thank you also for taking the time to read ALL of our comments. It is nice to know that the time we take to write and share our thoughts and feelings is also appreciated by you and by others.

I have personally raved about IDID more on OT and thought I would share those thoughts here. If you happen to read them, that’ll be great, otherwise, I will understand, life is busy. You might have read or come across some or many of these comments before:

“You asked me, “Did you love episode 12 of IDID as much as I did?=)” Did I ever?!!!! Episodes 11 and 12 had some serious cute/adorable/protective/tender moments that upped my love for TK and confirm to me why he is good for her.
I won’t list all those scenes here (I can’t remember all of them) but some have stayed with me and are worth mentioning: in episode 11, how cute was he when he wrote on his hand [because he couldn’t speak] and then took it upon himself to write up a questionnaire and hand it out and begged people to fill it out. I LOVED it when he sang the “I want to kiss you” song, which reminded me of the 1st season of We Got Married with Alex (the singer/cook/actor/restauranteur) and Shin Ae (the actress). In that 1st season, Alex was paired with Shin Ae and he does play that song and sings it to her. Alex starts singing it a little far away from Shin Ae and he keeps getting closer to her as he sings. Shin Ae was very shy and seeing her reaction to Alex singing (and yes, he wanted to kiss her ) were both cute and adorable! I immediately thought of that scene when TK started singing (and both men have beautiful voices).

I LOVED how anxious and worried TK was at the news of JA getting married to the Dr. He couldn’t focus and had to find out (and actually do his job, giving her the questionnaires with the answers). I LOVED how TK looked at her in the morning, when she was cooking breakfast for him. From the moment he 1st saw her to the realization that she was actually in the kitchen, COOKING!!!! The look on his face: PRICELESS (nicely surprised and so much tenderness) and LSW did a great job portraying that.
And of course, the scene where he eats breakfast, hilarious and precious. I replayed that whole scene many times for the laughs but also because it showed how sensitive and emotionally aware TK can be. I LOVED how he built up her confidence in cooking and how he *lied* (both times) in a smart way. We now know for sure that TK is a better cook. The things that that man will do for his woman, *swoons.* And the way KSA played that scene, from not knowing how to cook to saying that she is good at anything she does, so funny. How they kept a straight face through scenes like that is one of the many reasons why I love the actors/actresses in this drama and their characters. I will stop here for episode 11.

Now on to episode 12:
My favorite scenes (and again I don’t remember all of them at the moment) were when he hugged her to prevent her from going to look for the samples (skinship !), but more than that, when the phone rang and he didn’t let go of his other hand when he picked up the phone , (so he was still holding her). *Sighs!* I replayed that scene many times as well. They made it look so natural, and I LOVED how he stayed around and acted like he was a part of the conversation (I thought that was rather cute ).

And then there are the scenes when the Dr. sees her parents (he redeemed himself some), greets her in the white dress, when TK asks NaRi to leave JA alone (standing up for her), when he stayed up all night to help create a different pair of shoes (with daddy coming to the rescue), when TK slipped the shoes (he changed) on her, the look on his face then, and the look on his face when she kissed him and the way he turned around like a robot (so funny!). One of TK’s crowning moments of course was when he gave dad his speech on single parents. I felt like giving him a standing ovation after he was done talking. It was one of those times when I went, “really, this guy is not dumb.”
I am also liking some of the side characters such as TK’s dad and his friend (who works at the restaurant), and NaRi and the other friend (whose wife is pregnant, Bong Soo) to a certain extent. I am liking (actually loving) some of JA’s outfits, but I can’t help and wonder when we will see the baby bump.
I like seeing how JA is at times vulnerable in TK’s presence (the kiss scene, before, during and after) and how her shyness comes out at times (when he sang). It is nice and interesting to see those different layers in her personality. I could say more about the last two episodes (as you know) but I will stop here, as I have already said plenty.

I am personally enjoying IDID as I understand that it is a drama that lets the characters breathe and it is taking the scenic route to solving problems, as opposed to taking a straight shot. I have let go of some of my expectations, and I am focusing on enjoying the ride and the view.
Watching Bridal Mask for me is like having the main dish of a meal. It is intense (the drama) and like a main meal, it mostly feels you up. IDID to me is like the dessert. There is always room for dessert (at least for me). And IDID as a dessert is the kind that I look forward to (what endearing things will TK do today?:-)). Like many people, I am ready for TK to find out that he is the dad and I hope that it will happen sooner rather than later. I do think that with TK knowing, there is potential to write in many more conflicts and comedic situations (about the pregnancy, TK’s reaction, his dad’s reaction, his friend’s reaction, Bong Soo’s reaction [and he tends to overreact, so that would be funny], what would become of TK’s future, etc…).

I would like to see TK go through the pregnancy with JA, but I don’t know if I will get to see that *Sighs.* It would also be nice to see JA give birth and have TK be there for that (in the room) and see the beaming dad that he could be. They could then do a time jump and we could get to see scenes like TK taking little TK to kindergarten (after we see that TK and JA got married by using some pictures for example), or as someone suggested in the recap comments of episode 11 (I think), TK and his child pretending to like JA’s food but afterwards going to a restaurant to eat some really good cooked food or better yet, have TK cook for the whole family since he is so good at it.
And I would like to see JA and TK and TK’s dad have their own company and doing tremendously well. Oh, and at the end of the last episode, we learn that KA is pregnant with her 2nd child and that her OB-GYN is a woman, (DWEB) Doctor With Well Established Borders

So yeah, all in all I am still enjoying IDID and I hope that it will do well till the end because I am considering buying the DVD when it becomes available. I do want to see how it ends though, how the next four episodes are written and acted out (and directed, of course). I guess we will find out soon enough, two more weeks to go. I think this writer is struggling some, but I hope she will be able to bring it all together. Maybe she should check out Dramabeans for some suggestions . We are easily accessible, aren’t we? There are a few of us who enjoy this show and I don’t think we would mind giving her a few pointers, right? After all, we post our thoughts here, it’s not like we hide them.”

and also:

“I wasn’t really sure what to expect either before IDID started, besides the description and explanations I read on Dramabeans. I was however curious about it because it was a project that KSA and LJW had chosen to be in. So, I read the first recap and decided to check it out.

Personally, I thing the only drama with an older woman/young pup (as you aptly put it) I have seen so far is MNIKSS, I think. It ‘s the only one that comes to my mind right now. Again, I was mostly curious and I usually want to check out KSA’s projects, even if I don’t see them right when they are airing. To be honest, I also wanted to see how KSA was going to portray a strong and demanding woman a la Cruella de Ville of “The Devil Wears Prada” in which I thought Meryl Streep was excellent.

I do like that JA is a strong woman as well and that they have maintained that side of her (so far) in the series. I also do like (personally) that we do see how her walls come down, as she gets to know TK and realizes what a wonderful assistant he is (because he is TRULY wonderful. I would love to work with someone like him) and how caring, gentle, tender and smart and hard working he is as well.

I LOVE that TK turns out to be what JA needs in a man if she ends up being in a relationship and that has been well shown in this drama. I LOVE that TK falls in love with her first and not the other around, and more importantly, that he has the courage to admit and confess to her how he feels. I also LOVE that he didn’t say right away that he loved her, but that he liked her and that he was curious about her (his conversation with the Dr.). So we see TK fall in love with JA, but we also see JA slowly melt and appreciate TK, and reveal her vulnerable and soft sides in the process. Some examples are how she talks (and acts) like a little girl when she sees that he saw her drawings. She had been found out and exposed and felt extremely vulnerable. I LOVED how KSA played that scene. The tone of her voice and her body language changed. I LOVED that kiss (I wrote a long post in defense of those kinds of kisses in that episode recap) because it wasn’t forced and TK gave JA the opportunity to stop him if she didn’t want to be kissed and JA welcomed the kiss. I also loved JA shyness when TK sang the kiss song
I have never said this, but I also personally like that TK had never been with a woman before, I found that to be refreshing and different. In RL, I know a few men (some younger than me, in their late 20s) who were virgins when they got married, so I know that happens. JA basically have the upper hand on TK in a lot of areas and that is different for me in a Kdrama (and I welcome that difference).
I do feel however that the show tells us (IMHO) that what TK has is as valuable and as important as what JA has. TK has a great dad (essentially a great family) and a friend who, despite his flaws truly cares about him and tries to be the voice of reason when he thinks it is needed. TK also slowly earns his colleagues’ respect by working hard and by always being polite and well mannered, and I LOVE that about him. He is positive and tries to not let life get him down.

I personally don’t hate the Dr., he has a role to play and we need to know why we are making (in my case) the switch from him to TK. The selfish speech he gave JA when she told him she was pregnant did it for me, because I was originally on his team. He looked good, on paper, physically and otherwise. I think that at times, he has helped her and I do think that he loves her, but his approach (showing his lack of respect at times) has not been the right one. I do think that if Dr. had a woman or a friend advising him, he could change some of his behavior for the better. He is not all bad in my book and he does care.

Even when I don’t like certain characters in a drama, I have come to accept that they are there to fulfill a role. It is a drama after all, so I roll with it and put up with it, watching to see how things will turn out. So I have done so with NaRi and Madame Jang. I agree with you however, that I am looking forward to seeing both characters get their comeuppance and I hope it is a good one (and Jake’s as well).

“I’d like to see TK go to America with Ji An by his side to start their own line of footwear. I know this is farfetched, but what the hey- I can dream. lol”
I would like to see that as well, and I would also like to see TK more involved in the pregnancy with more tender and funny moments between TK and JA, because the situation (pregnancy) lends itself to such moments. I would like to see JA have the baby and TK being in the room with her and being a beaming dad when he first sees his child. I would also like to see respective parents of JA and TK accept each other and their children. And I would like the ending to show JA telling TK that they are pregnant with their second child, that would be funny and defying the odds, once again. I might be in the minority in this, but I would like for JA and TK to get married, especially because they love each other.

I have said this before, but I do LOVE that TK is not your typical hero, and that JA was actually the abusive one at the beginning of this relationship. I LOVE that his character has been consistent in who he is, because that hasn’t always been the case in Kdramas and I hope he stays the same until the end. I do LOVE heroes who are kind, tender, gentle and yet very capable and I relate more to them because I am the same way and if I were dating someone, I would want him to be that way, otherwise, I would not be interested. I think you can be such a hero and still have “drama” in a drama.

Personally, TK is a man after my own heart (actually, he already has my heart ). Regarding the pace of the drama, I have relaxed my expectations concerning that and it has allowed me to better enjoy the drama. IDID is a drama that lets its characters breathe and tell the story. Gaksital (I have checked out a few episodes) for me is the main dish in a meal course (with meat and potatoes, it feels you up, keeping you on your toes) and IDID is the dessert and one that is yummy to me. Btw, I always have room for dessert, so I definitely welcome dramas like IDID

On a last note, I LOVE the issues being explored (JA’s parents’ reactions, JA thought process and actions, the societal issues, tc…) as well.”